LOS ANGELES (November 23, 2010) – Just
in time for the official start to
holiday shopping season, the Parents
Television Council™ released its annual
list of the “Top Ten Best and Worst
Advertisers” for the 2009-2010
television season. Companies were ranked
based on the content in the television
shows they chose to underwrite with
their advertising dollars. “Best”
companies primarily sponsored programs
with positive, family-friendly themes
while advertisers that earned the
“worst” label commonly appeared on shows
that included harsh language, violence
and sexual content.

“The Parents Television Council is
urging holiday shoppers to put their
money where their values are and
consider shopping at ‘best list’ stores
like Walmart, Sears and Kmart rather
than at ‘worst list’ stores like Macy’s.
Our list clearly shows that some
corporations are committed to sponsoring
television content that is consistent
with their corporate image. Others
apparently don’t hold such a commitment
and help to underwrite some of the most
sexually-charged, profanity-laced and
violence-ridden content on TV,” said PTC
President Tim Winter.

“During the upcoming shopping season,
consumers may be in the market for an
automobile. We hope they will reflect on
our advertiser listing, which includes
Ford on the ‘best list’ and GM on the
‘worst list.’ If consumers are choosing
hygiene products, we hope they will
consider that Procter & Gamble (Ivory
and Oil of Olay soap) is on the ‘best
list’ and that Unilever (Dove and Axe)
is on the ‘worst list.’

“We applaud companies like Smucker and
Coca-Cola for their consistency in
sponsoring family-friendly shows
including ‘Secrets of the Mountain,’
‘Minute to Win It,’ ‘Extreme Makeover:
Home Edition,’ and ‘American Idol.’ We
also thank Sears for the positive and
dramatic change we’ve seen in their
sponsorship decisions. For those who’ve
made a home on our worst list, including
Yum! Brands (Taco Bell and KFC) and
Burger King, we will continue to push
for positive change.

“As the TV landscape continues to
change, one thing is certain: Content
won’t get to consumers unless
advertisers help to underwrite its
delivery. At the end of the day, TV
sponsors can make the difference between
positive, family-friendly programming
reaching American viewers or being
squeezed out of TV lineups by graphic
content that objectifies young girls and
glamorizes violence.

“There’s no better time for members of
the public to show goodwill to companies
who support positive programming and
family values. We’re asking for your
help to make sure companies on the worst
advertisers list also hear that message
loud and clear,” Winter concluded.

Top Ten Best and Worst Advertisers

The PTC’s list of the “Top Ten Best and
Worst Advertisers” is based on each
company’s prime time broadcast
television ad buys during the 2009-2010
television season. Data was pulled from
September 15, 2009 through May 15, 2010
and over 82,000 individual records were
reviewed as the list was formulated.
Using PTC’s trademarked traffic light
ratings system, each company was
assigned a percentage based on the
overall number of green, yellow and red
light shows it sponsored. Companies
predominantly supporting green and
yellow light shows were ranked the best,
while companies with the highest
percentage of ads on red light shows
were ranked the worst. Special weight
was assigned to advertisers that
deliberately sought out family-friendly
programming and those that advertised on
PTC “campaign shows” which consistently
feature problematic sexual, violent or
profane content. To see each prime time
show’s rating, please visit
http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/familyguide/main.asp.

Select brands are listed below. To view
a full list of brand names associated
with the following companies, please
click on the company name.

To speak
with a representative from
the Parents Television
Council, please contact
Megan Franko at (703)
859-5054 or Liz Krieger at
(703) 683-5004 ext. 120.

The Parents Television Council™ (www.parentstv.org®)
is a non-partisan education organization advocating responsible entertainment.
It was founded in 1995 to ensure that children are not constantly assaulted by sex, violence
and profanity on television and in other media. This national
grassroots organization has more than 1.3 million members across the
United States, and works with television producers, broadcasters,
networks and sponsors in an effort to stem the flow of harmful and
negative messages targeted to children. The PTC also works with
elected and appointed government officials to enforce broadcast
decency standards. Most importantly, the PTC produces critical
research and publications documenting the dramatic increase in sex,
violence and profanity in entertainment. This information is
provided free of charge so parents can make informed viewing choices
for their own families.

Parents Television Council,
www.parentstv.org, PTC,
Clean Up TV Now, Because our children are watching, The
nation's most influential advocacy organization, Protecting
children against sex, violence and profanity in
entertainment, Parents Television Council Seal of Approval,
and Family Guide to Prime Time Television
are trademarks of the Parents Television Council.